Slab avalanche on test slope

Location Name: 
Above Crater lake, Red Lake Pk
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of avalanche (best estimate if unknown): 
Tue, 12/27/2016 - 23:30
Location Map: 
United States
38° 43' 2.0388" N, 119° 58' 45.894" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent avalanche activity
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Observation made by: Public
Avalanche Observations
Avalanche Type: 
Slab
Slope: 
35degrees
Trigger type: 
Other - explain below
Crown Height: 
2 ft
Aspect: 
Northeast
Weak Layer: 
Unknown
Avalanche Width: 
50ft.
Terrain: 
Near Treeline
Elevation: 
9 200ft.
Bed Surface: 
Storm Snow
Avalanche Length: 
100ft.
Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
The snow on bed where failure occured.
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
More detailed information about the weather: 

 

Touring around redlake peak, encountered widespread evidence of recent and ongoing snow

transport.  Most aspects showed signs of wind impact ranging from scoured surfaces on ridge

features and windward aspects, to enjoable soft pocked snow in the north bowls off summit.  

We kicked on a feature, anticipated to have wind slab and were surprised to see a sizable slab cut loose  thiss was rhe NE facing exit from the upper bowl on that first steep roll over.  The bed was rounding snow, not very crystaline, which was moist and cohesive in my glove 

A quick column showed a reactive layer at the failure and possible another deeper at around 60 cm. Likely wind slabs on top of eacother, but weak storm layer possible too. No loading tests were done on this pack, but showed the size of some of the lurking slabs out thrre